Medieval walrus tusk relief depicting the Annunciation
- Title:
- Medieval walrus tusk relief depicting the Annunciation
- Collection:
- Cornell Cast Collection
- Creator:
- Gipsformerei (reproduction)
Unknown (original)
- Photographer:
- Alexandridis, Annetta
- Date:
- ca. 1880-1910
end of 12th c. CE
- Site:
- Berlin, Germany (reproduction)
Cologne, Germany (original) - Location:
- 726 University Avenue, Cornell University
Berlin, Germany (reproduction)
Cologne, Germany (original) - ID Number:
- CCC_0851
- Accession Number:
- 4405. (incised in back)
H incised in back at viewer's lower right corner
605 - File Name:
- CCC_0851.tif
- Original Measurements:
- 13.6 (H) x 9.6 (W) cm
- Culture:
- Germanic
- Style/Period:
- Cologne
- Work Type:
- casts (sculpture)
- Materials/Techniques:
- plaster cast (sculpture)
walrus tusk sculpture in relief (original) - Subject:
- Annunciation to the Virgin Mary
- Image View Type:
- overall
- Image View Description:
- from front
- Measurement:
- 13.2 x 9.5 x 1.5 (centimeters, height x width x diameter)
- Description:
- This is a plaster cast of a small panel carved from walrus tusk produced in Cologne in the late 12th c. It depicts the annunciation of the birth of Jesus to Mary by the angel Gabriel. The original was previously held in Berlin and was heavily damaged by fire in WWII such that only the viewer's right half of the panel, containing Mary and Joseph, remains. The cast preserves the object in its entirety. At the viewer's left side of the panel, the winged Gabriel approaches Mary, appearing to have just alighted. He is haloed, robed, and holds a scepter with his left hand across his chest and over his shoulder and holds his right hand towards Mary, with his index finger extended. Mary and Joseph stand within an architectural structure consisting of an arch or canopy supported by columns (a baldacchino). Mary is foregrounded, while Joseph stands behind her in robe and hood with only his head, upper body, and raised left hand visible. Mary is robed, hooded, and haloed and stands facing Gabriel with her right hand up, palm forward. She holds her left hand at her chest. All figures are shown in three-quarter view, and the pupils of all are carved. Collectively, plaster casts of classical and medieval ivory carvings are known as fictile ivories. These were molded and produced in volume in the second half of the 19th c. This object contains an imprinted copper medallion on its reverse, indicating that it was produced by the Gipsformerei of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin.
- Notes:
- Items in the Cornell Cast Collection are meant for inventory and reference purposes. Metadata may not be complete in all cases.
no. 610 (heavily damaged by fire in WWII) - Bibliography:
- R. Wurche, "Die Elfenbeinbildwerke in der Skulpturen-Sammlung," Forschungen und Berichte 5 (1962), 75, fig. 2
Gipsformerei, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Katalog der Originalabgüsse, Heft 7, Elfenbein: Byzanz, Abendland, no. 4405, pl. 20
J. O. Westwood, A Descriptive Catalogue of the Fictile Ivory Casts in the South Kensington Museum (London, 1876) - Repository:
- Cornell University (current)
formerly Berlin, Skulpturensammlung (original) - Collecting Program:
- Cornell Collections of Antiquities
- Format:
- Image
- Rights:
- The images in the Cornell Collection of Antiquities: Casts are protected by copyright, and the copyright holders are their creators, generally Cornell University Library, Annetta Alexandridis, and Verity Platt. This collection of plaster casts owned by Cornell University was photographed by Cornell University Library, Alexandridis, Platt, and Andreya L. Mihaloew from 2010-2015, with funding from a Digital Collections in Arts and Sciences Grant to Annetta Alexandridis. Cornell is providing access to the materials for research and personal use. The written permission of any copyright and other rights holders is required for distribution, reproduction, or other use that extends beyond what is authorized by fair use and other statutory exemptions. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item and securing any necessary permissions ultimately rests with persons desiring to use the item. Please contact Annetta Alexandridis and Verity Platt for more information about this collection, or to request permission to use these images.